Military medicine
-
Editorial Comment Letter
Secondary Syphilis, Urticarial Eruption, and COVID-19 Vaccination.
-
The U.S. military has a 50-year history of managing resettlement or refugee camps on bases. In July and August 2021, more than 124,000 persons were evacuated from Afghanistan, with 55,000 Afghans temporarily housed at U.S. military bases around the world during Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) at its peak. ⋯ Partners and providers involved in any refugee setting should become familiar with updated guidelines, standards, and best practices and apply them to any operation to ensure a rights-based approach to protection, care, and the health and well-being of refugees.
-
Each French military orthopedic surgeon is both an orthopedic surgeon and a trauma surgeon. Their mission is to support the armed forces in France and on deployment. The aim of this study was to describe the type of orthopedic surgery performed for the armed forces in France. Our hypothesis was that scheduled surgery was more common than trauma surgery. ⋯ Military orthopedic surgeons are not just traumatologists; their activity for the armed forces is varied and mainly consists of so-called programmed interventions.
-
Skin cancer rates have been steadily increasing among the American public for decades, but multiple studies have demonstrated that the U. S. military suffers from higher rates of skin cancer than the general public. As with so many aspects of health, simple preventive measures made early on can dramatically improve long-term health outcomes. ⋯ Options to do so include issuing soldiers small portable packets or bottles of sunscreen to carry on their person, incorporating small packets of sunscreen in MREs, and issuing sunscreen to commands to distribute before field exercises. Unit and medical leadership should encourage the use of sunscreen and sun-protective strategies when possible; leadership engagement is critical to overcoming current behavioral barriers to change. Finally, we recommend that units attempt to reduce sun exposure during training by encouraging soldiers to seek shade and avoiding outdoor training in the middle of the day.
-
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture in military personnel and civilians can be a devastating injury. A service member is 10 times more likely to suffer an ACL injury than their civilian counterparts, and despite successful surgical stabilization, 4%-35% will develop arthrofibrosis, over 50% will not return to full active duty, and up to 50% will develop post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) within 15 years. Equally concerning, woman are 2 to 8 times more likely to experience ACL injuries than men, which represents a major knowledge gap. ⋯ ACL injuries continue to be a major concern among military personnel and civilians and represent a significant loss in command readiness and quality of life. The lack of predictability in outcomes after ACL repair or reconstruction underscores the need for new joint protection therapies. The male-female disparity requires urgent investigation.